Caleb Brooks

After a couple of changes to his major, University of North Georgia (UNG) alumnus Caleb Brooks found the right path.

The Athens, Georgia native, combined his love of film and video games with an affinity for the Japanese language and culture into a major undertaking. Brooks is pursued a degree in film and digital media with a media studies concentration and a minor in Japanese.

"While pursuing my associate degree, I took classes that revolved around studying and analyzing media, mainly film, and learning Japanese," he said. "I realized that I had a knack for it. My professors seemed to agree, so over time everything just fell into place."

Brooks used his language skills to regularly tutor students online. Dr. Tomoe Nishio, assistant professor of Japanese in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages, encouraged him to accept the position.

"She knew I had considered applying for the Japan Exchange and Teaching (JET) Program as an assistant language teacher," he said. "She thought tutoring would be a good experience and help with my credentials."

Brooks' credentials will include receiving the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, which sends students who are eligible for the Pell grant to study or intern abroad for at least three weeks. He was one of eight UNG students to win the award in January 2021.

"I was elated," he said, adding it was short-lived. "Because of COVID-19 pandemic, the program was canceled. But I am still happy I won because it really helped boost my confidence."

Brooks graduated in December 2021 and applied for the JET program, which places participants from more than 40 countries to live and work in Japan. Brooks would work in Japanese public schools to support teachers of English. Participants sign a one-year contract and can renew for up to five years.

"It's one of the best ways to start living and working there," Brooks said. "Now, I want to make my two interests of Japanese and film and digital media work for me."

He credits UNG with teaching him leadership skills and preparing him for his next overseas adventure.

"You have to learn to work with people," he said. "This semester taught me that good leadership is to try to make sure nobody feels left out and everyone gets a chance to contribute and speak their minds."